Various audio devices and video devices such as video tape recorder, video disk player, community antenna television, have come to be widely used in the home. These devices are functionally connected into an audio/video (A/V) system so that, high-quality images and high-quality sounds are realized in any of the devices. Since the A/V system is not professionally used, it is preferable that the A/V system may be easily controlled by average users.
FIG. 5 is an example of an A/V system having a variety of audio/video (A/V) devices 40 such as TV tuner 1, satellite broadcast (BS) tuner 2, video disc (VD) player 3, video tape recorder (VTR) 4, compact disk (CD) player 5, FM/AM tuner 6 and a cassette deck 7. All of these devices 40 are connected to a television 8 and/or speakers 9 through an audio/video (A/V) amplifier 7A. A remote controller 10 is provided to control each of these devices 40, 7A, 8 and 9.
For example, in order to play a video tape loaded on the VTR 4, the following operations are necessary.
(1) A TV video mode button of the remote controller 10 is depressed to set the TV 8 in a video input mode. PA1 (2) An A/V amplifier video input mode button of the remote controller 10 is depressed to set the A/V amplifier 7A in a video input mode. PA1 (3) A playback button of the remote controller 10 is depressed to start the VTR 4.
The operations are troublesome to a person not thoroughly acquainted with the handling of the remote controller 10.
In order to simplify the operation, there has been provided a programmable remote controller 10A as shown in FIG. 6. The programmable remote controller 10A has a memory where transmission codes of individual remote controllers 10a to 10h for the respective A/V devices 40 are stored. The remote controller 10A is programmed to automatically execute necessary operations for operating an A/V device 40. Namely, only a VTR playback button of the programmable remote controller 10A is pushed to play the video tape in the VTR 4. The reason the programmable remote has come to be extensively used in a very short time is that the A/V devices are now provided with a microcomputer so as to be electronically controlled. The microcomputer can easily decode signals from the remote controller.
However, operation codes from the remote controller, each of which corresponds to one operation, is transmitted to the A/V device 40 one by one. Hence a user must keep on depressing the button while all of the operation codes are transmitted from the programmable remote controller 10A to the A/V device 40. Accordingly, there is a lag between the time when the remote controller 10A is operated and the time when the A/V device 40 starts to operate, which means impairing of the operability.